Muhammad Ali is hospitalised

Boxing great Muhammad Ali is hospitalised in the Phoenix area with what two people familiar with his condition say may be more serious problems than his previous hospital stays.

The people said on Thursday that Ali is fighting respiratory issues that are complicated by the Parkinson’s that he was diagnosed with in the 1980s. The two spoke separately in describing Ali’s condition that they say is concerning to family members.

The people declined to be identified because they were not speaking on behalf of the family.

A spokesman for Ali sent out a release earlier Thursday saying the former heavyweight champion is being treated at an unidentified hospital for a respiratory issue. Spokesman Bob Gunnell said that the 74-year-old was in fair condition, and that a brief hospital stay was expected.

Ali’s longtime Parkinson’s doctor declined comment on Thursday night. “I can’t really say much more than what’s in the papers,” said Dr Abraham Lieberman of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

Ali has been hospitalised several times in recent years, most recently in early 2015 when he was treated for a severe urinary tract infection.

Ali has looked increasingly frail in public appearances in recent years, including on April 9 when he was hunched over at the annual Celebrity Fight Night dinner in Phoenix.